Complete Hematologic Response and Cytogenetic Remission after Imatinib and Dexamethasone Treatment of a Ph+ Precursor B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Renal Transplantation Patient

ABSTRACT

In this report, we present a case of a patient with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia after renal transplantation. The patient, a 65-year-old man, had received a kidney transplantation 20 years prior to diagnosis with Ph+ precursor B-cell ALL. Because he was refractory to intensive chemotherapy and had refused to receive additional intensive chemotherapy, he was treated with imatinib and dexamethasone. While this patient experienced a complete hematologic and cytogenetic response, he did not show a complete molecular remission. Eighty days after imatinib combination therapy, the patient relapsed and died from intracerebral hemorrhage.